Published: October 2007
Pages: 406
Series: Tairen Soul #1
Summary
Once he drove back the darkness.
Once he loved with such passion his name was legend.
Once, driven wild with grief over the murder of his beloved, the majestic Fey King Rain Tairen Soul had laid waste to the world before vanishing into the Fading Lands. Now, a thousand years later, a new threat draws him back into the world—and a new love reawakens the heart he thought long dead.
Ellysetta, a woodcarver’s daughter, calls to Rain in a way no other ever had. Mysterious and magical, her soul beckons him with a compelling, seductive song—and no matter the cost, the wildness in his blood will not be denied.
As an ancient, familiar evil regains its strength, causing centuries-old alliances to crumble and threatening doom for Rain and his people… he must claim his truemate to embrace the destiny woven for them both in the mists of time.
My thoughts
This was a book recommended to me by a dear friend I met through my bookstagram (Hi Matilda) and it has since ruined me in the best way possible. It’s absolutely not perfect, but I enjoyed this book so much that I don’t care about anything else. I may be a bit biased but the overall vibe of this book was impeccable.
“A woman did not feel jealousy if her emotions were not engaged. And a wise man did not let it fester.”
Let’s start with the plot because I love my fantasies with complex plot lines where it feels like there is so much going on but you can’t yet see how the pieces come together. You get that with this book. So many interesting characters, different dynamics, politics and perspectives. I get a strong sense that with how much we’ve learnt so far that this is not a clear cut good versus evil story. Our characters are a huge mixture of anything. Who’s to say who’s evil or who is doing bad things for honest reasons. We only scratch the surface in this book and with four more until the series is finished – I have lots to find out!
The characters are fantastic and I specifically want to call out two things: 1. the side characters are not just props, they are developed characters with nuance and backstory and not just a cardboard cut-out to serve a specific purpose. 2. Our female main character is not your typical fragile glass swan who is actually gravely powerful and with no battle experience can wipe out her enemy on the battle field… I am so sick of this type of trope that is used so often in the romantasy genre. No, Ellie feels so real. Her worries, her love, her fears feel so real and she behaves and acts in a realistic manner. She is open to other perspectives despite feeling shock or disbelief. She doesn’t turn blindly and run off despite continuous warnings. She actually listens, analyses what she knows to make a SMART, informed decision. She felt like a breath of fresh air.
“Hope was a fragile flicker that he wanted to cup with both hands to protect against the harsh winds of reality.”
With this book the focus is more around the romance with many side plots going on in the background. I hear that as the books continue we get more and more of the complexity of what is going on and deeper into the action. But I’m not mad because the relationship building in the book was not only sweet and had me smiling into the pages, but it allowed for real world-building. We really get sight into the delicate politics at play, not just with the humans but with the fey and the different possible enemies at play. We get wide range of characters from Queens to warriors to your local butcher. We get more about the history and just how high the stakes are. I really enjoyed it.
“My beloved is the sun,
And I am the earth that thrives only in her warmth.
My beloved is the rain,
And I am the grass that thirsts for her quenching kiss.
My beloved is the wind,
And I am the wings that soar when she fills me with her gentle strength.
My beloved is the rock,
Upon which rests the happiness of all my days.”
Although there were a couple of moments where I cringed inwards (something about the word truemate was starting to get to me) I am so willing to let it slide because I loved everything else so much. You cannot change my mind on this one. The yearning, the touches, the eye contact.. I was eating it all up. I’m not a romance reader so this is not usually my cup of tea but this one caught me like a fish on a hook.
Would I recommend?
Yes! I have already recommended it to a friend who has just ordered it. It is a fantastic balance of high fantasy with a very strong romance plot line. Lots of delicate politics at play and there’s so much happening I need to read on and find out more. Although this first book has a larger focus on our two main characters courting, there is still a lot of things being set up and (I’ve just finished book two, I can’t keep up with these blog posts!) there is far more action and politics in book two. Here’s to book three which is high on my TBR!